Autumn colors at Caswell Memorial State Park

Caswell Memorial State Park, in Ripon, CA, is pretty magical in autumn. It is an example of riparian oak woodland, which once flourished throughout California's Central Valley. This ecosystem is threatened and still declining, so this forest really feels special. The oak trees are majestic (no matter the time of the year), and there is a wild grape vine that runs rampant in the park; the leaves of the grape vine turn yellow and red in the fall, which really adds to the golden feeling of the forest.

I just did a short and easy one-mile hike on my trip to Caswell since my daughter was not really in a hiking mood. It's too bad she was being so adamant, because this is definitely something that she could have done. It's a flat, shady hike with lots to see. I think that this is, overall, a park that would be great for most kids. There is a nice campground right on the banks of the Stanislaus River, and all of the paths connect together so that you can easily tailor the length of a hike to your family's limitations. Suffice it to say that I plan on going back!

The grapevines were most impressive along the nature trail that comprise the first leg of the River Bend Trail. The best views of the river were from the Crow's Loop Trail. I really found myself wanting to stay on the Majestic Oaks Trail for much longer because the trees were so gorgeous, but I wanted to get back to the picnic area quickly so that I didn't leave my daughter with Grammy for too long. When I go back, I plan to basically trace my way through the remaining legs of the trails to see as much as possible. Hopefully I can get back before the fall colors are over this year, but I have a feeling that this park will become a regular haunt. I bet that this makes for an excellent swimming hole in the summer!